Sir Julius Vogel Finalists – 2017 Edition

You’re looking at one 2017’s Sir Julius Vogel Awards finalists.

Thank you for all the nominations — you fucking rock. I wouldn’t be here without the rest of you telling a group of strangers how much you loved my book. The SJV team have made me a finalist in two categories — Best Novel (for Night’s Fall) and Best New Talent.

Being nominated is big. Being a finalist is hyooooge. Especially when you consider the people I’m rubbing shoulders with (http://www.sffanz.org.nz/sjv/sjvNominations-2017.html).

• Lee Murray’s Into the Mist. I loved this one.
• Sarah Feyermann’s Innocents.
• Juliet Marillier’s Den of Wolves.
• Kirian Oliver’s Daybreak Rising.

The odds of me winning when stacked against that list is tiny, but leave me with my dreams, just for today.

Best new talent has me stacked against Eileen Mueller (https://www.facebook.com/EileenMuellerauthor/), Laya Rose (https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16113376.Laya_Mutton_Rogers), and Darian Smith (http://darian-smith.com/). I don’t know Laya or Darian, but Eileen and I have shared a few emails, enough to suggest that I’m again surrounded by class.

The humbling part is when you read what people have to say about you.

• “With rich world building, innovative character perspectives, and a gritty action-oriented style, Richard work is unique among Kiwi authors…”
• “What convinces me that he has talent is that being a novelist is not a requirement in his day job. He does it because he loves it, and he does it well.”
• “Richard wrote a short story based entirely on dialogue and off-stage sounds. It was utterly gripping, scary and forward-looking all at once.”

Time for me to get a happy coffee.